


Better Halves

by CGotAnAccount



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Back half of the horse, Getting Together, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, pining shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CGotAnAccount/pseuds/CGotAnAccount
Summary: “Come on man, please?”Lance's tone is just the right amount of whiny to start a visible flutter in Keith's eyelid, not helped by the garish unicorn head that the lanky menace has been wiggling in his face. Shiro has to admit he's proud of Keith for keeping his arms firmly crossed this long... if those creepily blank googly eyes get that close to his face it may end up becoming a pinata.Still, judging by Keith's increasingly pale knuckles this carefully crafted restraint may not last much longer.“Keith, maybe it won't be so bad,” Shiro tries to assure him, reaching out to give his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. It's enough to draw his attention away from the glitter-caked monstrosity and get those pretty dark eyes to peer up at him, half petulant. “You can be the head, I trust you to lead me anywhere.”
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 67





	Better Halves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [benicemurphy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/benicemurphy/gifts).



> For Murph, who brought the inspiration to my attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcFv4EdAukY

“Come on man, please?”

Lance's tone is just the right amount of whiny to start a visible flutter in Keith's eyelid, not helped by the garish unicorn head that the lanky menace has been wiggling in his face. Shiro has to admit he's proud of Keith for keeping his arms firmly crossed this long... if those creepily blank googly eyes get that close to his face it may end up becoming a pinata.

Still, judging by Keith's increasingly pale knuckles this carefully crafted restraint may not last much longer.

“Keith, maybe it won't be so bad,” Shiro tries to assure him, reaching out to give his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. It's enough to draw his attention away from the glitter-caked monstrosity and get those pretty dark eyes to peer up at him, half petulant. “You can be the head, I trust you to lead me anywhere.”

The attempt at a joke falls flat as Keith's lips purse and he casts a skeptical glance back at the costume.

“But why us? I just wanted to enjoy the birthday party.”

“Because I promised Luna a unicorn and Hunk and Pidge have too much of a height difference to make it work.”

Keith squints at him, lips now pursed so tightly that Shiro is beginning to wonder if his mouth is going to suck itself inside out.

“Why can't you and Allura do it then? You're closer in size than me and Shiro.”

It's a fair point, and one that Lance clearly doesn't care about as he scoffs and wiggles the floppy, disembodied head closer.

“You mean you want her mom and dad to both disappear in the middle of the best part of the party?” He gives Shiro a look of disbelief as he throws a 'can you believe this guy?' gesture at Keith. “Yeah, that'll go over well... clearly you have loads of experience with kids.”

Bristling, Keith opens his mouth to unload something undoubtedly scathing on their well deserving friend, but Shiro beats him to the punch.

“It's fine Keith.” He squeezes the broad shoulder underneath his palm again, sliding his hand up to cup the back of his neck reassuringly. “We make a great team, don't we? We'll be the best unicorn ever.”

The shoulders go slack and Keith drops his crossed arms in defeat, reaching out for the gaudy mane to hold at arm's length like he might with the decapitated head of his foes.

“Fine... but not for more than half an hour, it's going to be hell on Shiro's back to stay bent over that long.”

“Deal.” Lance reaches out to punch him on the shoulder before thinking better of it and settles for clapping Shiro on the back instead. “And I'll throw in some of my world famous massage lotion so you can work his kinks out later.”

“Oh, uh, that-” Shiro sputters shaking his head as Lance hands him the back half of the costume with a wink. “You really don't need to-”

“And a heating patch,” Keith butts in, tucking the head under his arm and holding out his hand to shake on it. “He's not getting any younger.”

“Hey!”

“Sold!” Lance crows, clapping Keith's hand and pumping vigorously before stepping back with a cheshire grin. “Now go get dressed, your cue to start is gonna be in about ten minutes so you better be ready to prance.”

“I was born ready,” Keith scoffs, toeing off his shoes with the challenging smirk that Shiro knows and loves so well.

“Of course you were hotshot.” Lance rolls his eyes and turns away, flapping a hand as he goes. “Don't be late!”

Grumbling, Keith spins the head around to give it good look – like he might intimidate it into submission with the sheer force of his gaze.

“It's not so bad,” he decides, picking at the drape of fabric that hangs from the neck to disguise his less than horsey body. “Might be a little hot and hard to see in here though.” He flicks a glance up to Shiro, catching him staring like a besotted idiot as usual, and offers a small smile. “But don't worry, I won't run you into any poles.”

“I know you won't,” Shiro sighs as he steps into the legs and shimmies them up around his basketball shorts, past his tank top, and hooks the suspenders over his shoulders to keep the whole thing in place. “You're the only person I'd be a horse's ass for.”

The terrible joke earns him a delighted cackle as Keith sorts through the many folds of his own half of the costume.

“You could never make an ass of yourself, Shiro,” Keith mutters, still beaming as he tests the give of his jeans with a few high knees. “You're like the most polite, put together, adulty-adult that I know.”

“Well I'm glad I have someone fooled...” Shiro wheezes out, mouth going dry as Keith casually pops the button on his jeans and shimmies them off, stepping into the costume in just a pair of tight boxer briefs.

“There we go,” he grunts, doing a few test jumps that make his powerful thighs flex in a way that makes Shiro wonder if the back half of the horse is going to end up looking anatomically correct. “Now I can prance like a pro.”

He pulls the costume all the way up his hips and aims a devilish grin back at Shiro, one eyebrow cocked in challenge as the head dangles in front of him, utterly unaware of the vestiges of Shiro's dignity withering and dying.

“Totally,” Shiro croaks, unsubtly shoving a hand into his costume to tuck himself up into his waistband – cursing himself for the loose shorts he had chosen. “Lance won't know what hit him.”

“Damn right.” Keith nods, turning around to pull the whole ensemble over his head, lifting up the back flap to give Shiro a world class view of the most perfect peach, clad only in stretchy cotton that perfectly outlines every crease and dip. “Now get in here old timer, we gotta practice for our big debut.”

“Guh,” Shiro agrees, heart racing as he shuffles forward, head sliding into the flap of cloth to tuck in behind the dip of Keith's waist. “Mmh?”

“You're gonna wanna hang on to me,” Keith chuckles, twisting to look down as his hands hold the head forward. “I don't wanna knee you in the face or anything.”

He does a few low jumps to demonstrate, effectively bouncing Shiro's face against the plush cushion of his ass.

“Hhhh?”

Shiro's brain disengages as Keith laughs and lets go of the head long enough to grab Shiro's arms and wrap them around his waist, forcing Shiro's back into an arch as he half cradles the hips of his best friend. His abs may be on fire, but his face burns even hotter as he's struck with the realization that he could dip his face less than an inch and leave a sucking bruise on that perfect peach...

“You good back there?” Keith asks, twisting in move that makes Shiro feel every ripple of muscle in his lean torso up close and personal. “We can switch if it's too much on your back.”

' _You can break my back anytime,'_ Shiro thinks, smiling dreamily up at Keith's concerned face like desperate lunatic. If his spine stays forever crimped from this moment it will be worth it just for the sensory memory worming its way into his hindbrain.

“M'good.” Is what actually escapes his mouth, a sentence coherent enough to be proud of given the circumstances of his imminent demise.

“Okay, if you're sure...” Keith squints at him before shrugging and bringing his hands back up to steady the head, taking a few test prances that Shiro obligingly follows. “Let's get this done, I want cake.”

And Shiro, well... Shiro already has the cake right in front of him, as mouthwatering as any of Hunk's concoctions and twice as tempting. But if Keith wants to be a fabulous unicorn, then by god Shiro is going to be the best horse's ass he can be.

The faint strains of music float in from the other side of the yard and over the row of bushes they're hidden behind, startling Shiro out of his daydreams of peaches and cream for dessert.

“Oh, that's our cue!”

And then they're off prancing, Keith's core tightening and rippling with every high step, no doubt creating the perfect trot as they round the bushes and spark a deluge of delighted shrieks from the children assembled. He can't stop his hands from clenching into fists in Keith's shirt for better leverage, dragging the hem up just enough that his face nestles against the bare strip on his hip.

He swears the skin there erupts in goosebumps when his breath washes over it, forcing him to summon every tattered scrap of self control not to suck open mouthed kisses everywhere he can reach... even though he could scrape his teeth across the sharp cut of Keith's muscle so _easily-_

“Heh, they're kinda cute,” Keith whispers, startling Shiro out of his vortex of thirst. “Luna looks like she's about to faint.”

“That's because she's got the world's most dedicated unicorn prancing its way into her life,” Shiro whispers back, letting his lips drag across the bare skin. “It's not every day her favorite uncle becomes a mythical beast.”

Keith shivers, blushing up to his ears as he tosses the unicorn's head in an excuse to squint down at the man wrapped around him. “You mean favorite uncles.”

“Eh.” Shiro shrugs as best he can, ducking to hide his grin in the thin fabric of Keith's underwear, fully aware that he's safe from all retaliation as long as they're swarmed by munchkins. “You're the pretty one, she never tries to braid my hair.”

“You have an undercut,” Keith deadpans, nearly skipping a beat in his prancing. “And you let her paint your nails.”

“Still,” Shiro insists, fingers tightening around Keith's slim waist, thumbs stroking through the shirt to reinforce his totally platonic point. “If I were a little girl I'd love you more than anything in the world.”

He can feel Keith's breath hitch, steps stuttering and nearly throwing off their rhythm as Keith twists again to stare down at him.

“Only if you were a little girl?”

And suddenly Shiro feels so _very_ exposed.

“Uuh, I... uh-”

“Looks like the _unicorn_ is a little _distracted_!” Pidge shouts from right near the flank, startling Shiro as they get pushed away from their current trajectory. “It's so silly, trying to get on the picnic table.”

Keith winces and twists back around, staring determinedly out the snout as he puts even more vigor into his springing steps.

The rest of their allotted tour of duty is an ordeal, carried out in uneasy silence as Shiro's back slowly breaks under the weight of excited toddlers clamoring for their turns to ride the unicorn. By the time the thirty minutes are up Shiro has the feeling he's going to be walking like the old timer Keith thinks he is for a few days at least. He wants to weep when Lance finally leads them back around the bushes in the corner of the yard, saddled with as many aching joints as regrets.

“You guys were great!” Lance crows, slapping Shiro on the back and drawing a groan as the back half of the horse collapses into a pained heap on the ground. “Uh... you okay buddy?”

“Peachy.” Shiro grunts, wincing as he tries to sit up. “You got that heat patch now?”

“Really Lance?” Keith interjects, nearing snarling as he pulls the head off and lets it flop around his knees. “Pony rides? Are you trying to cripple him?”

“Wha? O-of course not!” Lance backs up, hands and eyebrows raised as he darts a look from the furious unicorn to his incapacitated ass. “That's a thing they do at parties!”

“Yeah, when it's a real horse,” Keith seethes, taking a step forward that should be less menacing than it is given his current state of dress. “Shiro was bent double the whole time and-”

“Keith, it's fine.” Shiro cuts over him, reaching out to wrap a hand around Keith's ankle, lest he murder the father of the birthday girl. “I'm not that old yet, just give me a minute.”

Keith's lips press into a flat line as he stares down at Shiro's attempt at a wobbly smile, clearly unimpressed by the dismissal.

“I swear to god if you slipped a disc or something from this-”

“I'd pick up the chiropractor bill,” Lance interrupts, eyes rolling as he jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “Lemme go get that pad for you while you two get out of that costume... and be careful, it's a rental.”

Keith scowls at Lance's back as he saunters toward the deck and disappears inside – his face and crossed arms hilariously incongruous with the half-dead unicorn flopping around his knees.

“Keith.” Shiro scooches over enough to slide his palm up and down Keith's calf in an effort to lower his blood pressure. “It's fine... _I'm_ fine... and I bet we made it the best birthday party ever.”

The scowl wavers at that as Keith flicks a half smile down at Shiro's pathetic form.

“You should've seen their faces Shiro, it was pretty neat.”

“That's because we make the best unicorn team ever.” Shiro nods sagely, holding up a hand toward his best friend. “Now, help your ass up.”

Keith snorts, but wraps his fingers around Shiro's wrist and heaves him upright, steadying him with a hand on his hip as Shiro winces. “My ass is looking pretty sore.”

“Your ass is perfect,” Shiro retorts automatically. “We just spent some quality time together.”

“Oh is it?” Keith's eyebrows jump to his hairline as Shiro slowly combusts in front of him. “And here I thought you were getting a raw deal back there.”

“Little did you know,” Shiro sniffs airily, all false bravado in an effort to distract from his steaming cheeks. “I had front row seats to the best show in town.”

“Oh please,” Keith snickers, his own cheeks flushing as he shimmies off the costume in its entirety. “I'm surprised you didn't lose an eye with my bony ass in your face.”

“Bony?!” Shiro gasps in faux-offense, hand flying to clutch his pearls. “You take that back right now. I won't stand for any slander against my favorite posterior.”

“Your favorite, huh?” Keith smiles at the ground, seemingly shy as he gathers his jeans in his arms. “That's news to me.”

“Well, uh...” Shiros coughs into his fist and pulls his own costume down, not bothering to even attempt to hide the way he's been straining the waistband of his shorts for the past half hour. “I'm kind of a little girl when there's something I like, you know.”

“Oh?” Keith's reply is faint, strangled almost as he takes in Shiro's fumbling and... excitement. “How's that?”

“You know... I get a little giggly, a little sketchy, it's all very top secret even if everyone else knows...”

Keith swallows hard, eyes dragging up to meet Shiro's own as the back half of the horse meets him with a wobbly smile.

“How else are you like a little girl, Shiro?”

“Well, you know...” Shiro falters, clearing his throat even as his pulse roars in his ears. “-how I said before, like all little girls I, uhm... I might... I loo-uhh-ahem-” He shrugs, metaphorical tail between his legs. “You know.”

“I think I might,” Keith murmurs, stepping into Shiro's space, close enough to cup his face and draw him down to press their foreheads together. “Two halves of a whole, right?”

“Yeah...” Shiro breathes into the scant space between them, hands reaching to wrap around those slim hips of their own volition. “You've always been my better half.”

“You're a sap?” Keith huffs, like he's surprised that Shiro, who's been crazy about him since the moment they met, who just spent the better part of a decade pining and the last thirty minutes drowning in thirst, wants to say nice things about him.

“Only for you... because I-” Shiro sucks in a deep breath, hands sweating profusely into Keith's shirt. “-I really-”

“I love you too, Shiro.” Keith cuts him off with a smile, tipping his chin up to rub their noses together. “I always have.”

“ _Ohthankgod_.” Shiro collapses against him with a wheeze, letting his whole weight sag on Keith as he goes boneless in relief. “Oh thank fuck, I thought I was gonna barf all over the freaky unicorn head.”

Keith chuckles, staggering backward with the added weight as he slides a hand into Shiro's hair.

“I don't know why you were so nervous... it's not like it's a secret that I love you.”

“It was to me!” Shiro squawks into Keith's neck, refusing to show his flaming face to the world as he revels in the long fingers stroking through his undercut. “I thought you thought we were good friends!”

“Shiro.” Keith huffs, tangling his fingers in the short strands and pulling Shiro's head back to look at him. “I just stripped down to my boxers at a party full of children in an effort to seduce you.”

“You said it was for better mobility!”

“Shiro....” Keith sighs, letting Shiro drop against his shoulder again as he shakes his head. “Last year I popped out of your birthday cake in a fake police uniform.”

“I... thought that was just a joke?” Shiro squeaks, suddenly awash in the cold reality that in his own idiocy he squandered the opportunity to have Keith enthusiastically strip for him. “I am... the worst.”

Keith nods into his hair and presses a kiss to his temple.

“You are, but that's okay... you still make a pretty good horse's ass.”


End file.
